This morning I listened to two (possible three) Great Horned Owls hooting back and forth for about an hour, beginning just before dawn. We’ve heard them several times in the last month or two. The birds are usually “down valley” from us, and one time it sounded like one of the owls was actually in our yard.
As I was at an open window listening, I noticed a lot of bird activity in our backyard. I got out my binoculars when it was light enough to see. From about 6 to 7:30 AM, the migrants in our yard included Black-and-White, Black-Throated Blue, Black-Throated Green, Magnolia, Tennessee, and Nashville Warblers; American Redstart; Ruby-Crowned Kinglets; Blue-Headed and Red-Eyed Vireos; Eastern Towhee; Eastern Phoebe; and a possible Wood Thrush (based on its call notes). There was one warbler I couldn’t identify that had sort of a greenish-yellow wash on its back, a yellow throat, and mostly white belly. I also saw a couple of Red-Breasted Nuthatches; they are not regular visitors. It was a productive morning considering that I was birding from a window!
